Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1887-08-25
s'''dag, Aug. 81, 1887, Matt. ); 1920,

were initiated. The Pharisees were
II Jewish order, originally formed to
resist influences and teachings that
tended to undermine religion. They
took their stand on the oral law as the
ancient and sacred tradition Of their
fathers. They were principally dis
tinguished by their scrupulous OBJ
servance Of rabbinical rites. They
were the conservative and educated
portion OF the Jews who saw in rigid
adherence to ceremonials as they
had been developed in the history of
that race the only means of defend
ing and perpetuating its nationality,
aud therefore wished all matters civil
and religious TO be measured and
guided by the law as they understood
and interpreted it. They were pop
ular with the people, accepted the
doctrine of the resurrection and op-
posed the Sadducees, and at first
sight it would seem as if it would
have been natural for them to have at
least co-operated with Christ, but the
tendency OF their views interferfered
WIKI any thing Of that sort and led to
an open breach. Unless strictly
guarded principles like those held
a",i taught by the Pharisees ever
chnke heart religion and develop
hypocrisy It ~as the bypocriiical
Scribes aud Pnatisees, that Christ
denounced and not the law that Or
der had been originally created to
project. In verse II, he gave the
following emphatic caution to those
that heard him, sufficiently so one
would think to prevent that and all
succeeding generations from misun-
derstanding him. Think not" said
he, That I am come to destroy the
law and the prophets. am not come
to destroy but fulfill. For verify
say unto you, till heaven and earth
pass, one jot OR title shall IN no wise
pass from the law till all be fulfilled. u
The term law as used by the Savior
had reference to divine government
as whole and not to any of the clas-
sifications that have been made of it
as moral ceremonial and civil, the
last two of which in the Mosaic de.
pensation were supplemental to the
decalogue and given to carry out
and apply the principles Of the com,
mandnents. 1t would be a mistake
to look upon the decalogue as en-
brancing only one branch of legal re-
quirement. By no ingenuity what.
ever can it be divided Or separated
into eccesiastical aud civil law, both
of which in the divine mind were
evidently designed to be of parallel
and co-extensive jurisdiction, The
church, however, is a kingdom OF
persuasion. The sword is entrusted
to the state. Therefore the words
quoted related to all is divine and
had the same import as if the Lord
bad said: Il am come to carry out
the will of God" By referring to the
obstruction of the elements Chris'
intimated that he contemplated al
time, considered every exigency and
intended to provide for it in accord
auce with the councils of eternity
In their narrowest aspect and as ad
dressed 10 those that surrounded tn.
Lord they had the same meaning a!
il He had SAID: ..All revelation
every commandment, every type ant
shadow will fiDd its consummation il
me. Having thus cautioned the mul
titude the Savior proceeded t,
develope the split of the divine Law
as it was applicable to those that hat
without cause reviled his disciples
In doing this he made use of seyera
of the commandments, but as onl,
one of them is included in this les
sou further comment will be confine,
t. it,
YER. 21. Ye have heard that
was said by them of old time: "Tho
shall not kill and whosever shall xii
shall be in danger of judgment.
Christ makes no comment here. ii
tacitly acknowledges the propriety c
murders being punished, but to brin
out the spirit of the Sixth Command
ment made wider application of
than to actual manslaughter. Vel
; %. "But / say unto you that whose
; ever is angry with his brother witt
= out cause is in danger Of judgmen
) and whosoever shall say to his broth
er Raca (nfideD shall be in danger c
the council: but whosocver shall 50
, thou foo, {atleist) } shall be in dangt
OF bell-6re."
: To accuse a jew with discardln
revelation or denying The existence {
God was to put his life in leopard,
| but Christ characterized the crime {
: doing so without cause as a desig
f to murder, worthy of present an
r everlasting punishment, and thr
made it apparent that the Scribe
0 andPharisees in bringing such charge
!. against his disciples were violators {
= the law they professed to uphold.
:, But in defending ami encouragin
t his disciples Christ encountere
another duty, that Of warning the